


i know i'm out of my depth, but i just float in it

by askmeaboutmyoctopustheory



Category: Hawkeye (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Clint Barton's Loft Apartment, Deaf Clint Barton, Farm Scene Rewrite, Fix-It of Sorts, M/M, Not Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant, Secret Relationship, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:34:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25176982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/askmeaboutmyoctopustheory/pseuds/askmeaboutmyoctopustheory
Summary: “Are we in Brooklyn?” Tony repeated, but in a stage whisper.“Yes.” Clint replied, herding the team across the street towards a shabby- looking apartment complex.Clint pulled a single key from the secret pocket at the bottom of his quiver and fumbled to find the lock in the darkness.“Safe house?” Tony asked, eyeing the lock.“Hope so.” Clint replied, pushing the door open.~~~~aka: let's shove 616 clint into the mcu some more
Relationships: Clint Barton & Kate Bishop, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton, THundershield but only if you squint
Comments: 18
Kudos: 104





	i know i'm out of my depth, but i just float in it

**Author's Note:**

> ok this has been in my brain for a very long time
> 
> there are a few headcanons i'm hoping to shoehorn into here but we'll see (thanks ryan)
> 
> i don't know how long this will be and i don't know when i'll update bc if you look at my other fics i have like 20000 wips rn so good luck

The quinjet was eerily silent. The team wasn’t normally extremely talkative after a rough mission but the remains of the Witch’s spell hung over them like a fog.

“You need to switch out?” Tony asked Clint after hanging up the call with Maria. 

She had advised them to stay away from the tower and Clint was about to play the ace up his sleeve. The one he really didn’t want to play. The one that might not be good to play.

“Nah. Get some sleep, we’ve still got a couple hours.”

Clint’s eyes flickered over to their pile of Starkphones on the co-pilot's seat that Tony had confiscated after realizing Ultron had hacked into their private network. He couldn't risk sending a warning, even in the clumsy cipher he would be able to think up.

Steve walked into Clint’s field of vision, hands on his belt and looking much smaller than his super-soldier frame would suggest. After DC, Steve had come to Clint to learn more about his time under Loki’s influence and Clint came to know much more about the man behind the shield. His eyes were staring unfocused at the sonar signal on the jet’s dashboard.

“I saw him.” Steve’s voice was hollow. “When the witch…” He gestured vaguely to his head. “I saw this vision of...the old dance halls.” He smiled sadly. “Just like I used to go to before the war, more like dragged to. But Bucky-he was there. In my vision.”   
  
“Steve-”   
  
“But it wasn’t...It wasn’t him. It was the Soldier. And the other soldiers on the dance floor kept falling down from bullet wounds.”   
  
Clint worried his lip between his teeth.

“Sounds…. Heavy, Cap.” 

“Yeah. Well.” Steve shrugged and smiled, still crooked but more genuine this time. “Just needed to get my mind off it.”   
  


“Your usual distraction-” Clint arched his neck around to peer at where Thor was just staring distantly at the freight door. 

“He saw somethin’ that shook him up real good too.” Steve said quietly. 

Clint shuddered at the thought of a god and supersoldier being brought to the state they were in and silently thanked his own reflexes for using his taser arrow before the witch got to him. His nightmares were bad enough without outward influence.

“You’ll figure it out. Both of ya.”

  
Steve stood up again and clapped Clint’s shoulder as he walked out of the cockpit. The team pretended to be asleep until the jet touched down in an empty lot in stealth mode. Familiar buildings and sirens loomed in the distance as they deplaned.

“Are we-” Tony started to ask but was quickly shushed. 

“Are we in Brooklyn?” Tony repeated, but in a stage whisper.

“Yes.” Clint replied, herding the team across the street towards a shabby- looking apartment complex.

Clint pulled a single key from the secret pocket at the bottom of his quiver and fumbled to find the lock in the darkness.

“Safe house?” Tony asked, eyeing the lock.

“Hope so.” Clint replied, pushing the door open.

The loud sound of a dog barking came first, then the dog himself came barreling into Clint’s legs, making him stagger backwards. 

“Clint?” A female voice called out from up the stairs of the loft. “Is that you?”   
  
“Uh.” Clint glanced at the other five. “Yeah.”

A young woman with dark hair appeared at the top of the stairs and her eyes widened comically when she saw the group of them. She squinted at Clint and started signing rapid ASL at him from the top of the stairs before disappearing into a door.

“I thought you said you didn’t have a girlfriend.” Tony remarked as the young woman disappeared. 

Clint snorted and Natasha managed a weak laugh from his side. “Not really my thing.”   
  


He shooed the dog on to Thor and eased Natasha onto his sofa. The newspapers and bits of arrow fletching were cleared off the seats and the team settled onto the various stools and chairs. 

“So. What’re we gonna do about...this.” Clint started, vaguely gesturing with his head in one hand.

“Back up, how long have you had this place? What is this place?” Tony pressed. 

Clint sighed and looked at Nat, seemingly having a silent conversation before taking a deep breath.

“I own this place. The whole building. Kinda bought it on accident. It’s a safehouse for me and b- for me to rest when I need out of the tower. Only a few people know about it. Nat is one of them, Fury knows too. Phil….he knew.” He gestured up the stairs. “Kate knows, a few others.”   
  
“And Kate is….?” Steve asked with his brows knit.

“My….apprentice? I dunno, she’s like my sidekick but she’s better than that.”

“I heard that.” A voice from the stairs snarked. “Hello all, I’m Kate as Clint so lovingly said.”

“We would have warned you that we were coming but we were busy having no idea this place existed.” Tony said, shaking her hand.

“It’s alright. I knew this was a possibility ever since-” She cut herself off and glanced at Clint and then at Natasha. “It’s always been a possibility when Clint’s on mission.”

There was an awkward silence. 

“So-” Steve started.   
  
“Is it just me-” Tony also said.   
  
“We need to-” Banner tried to say.

They all quieted as soon as they had started. 

“Wow it’s a wonder you lot get anything done.” Kate said lightly, tossing a flip phone at Clint. “I’ll put on a pot of coffee.”

“Thanks Katie.” Clint said with a sigh, only getting a middle finger in return. He tapped out a text message on the cell phone and threw it onto the table in front of them.

“You got a secret family or something too?” Tony nodded at the phone. 

“God- Tony, no.” Clint scrubbed his hand over his face. “I don’t think you’re in any position to talk about secrets.”

“Stop! Stop it, both of you.” Steve said, standing up and starting to pace. “This is what Ultron wants. They’re trying to drive a wedge between us.”   
  


“Well, it’s working.” Banner commented lightly.

They were all silent again.

“I need to return to Asgard.” Thor announced, the first thing he had said since they had gotten onto the jet.

The team went into uproar once more. Clint turned the volume input for his hearing aids way down and slid down to slouch where he was sitting. He looked over towards Natasha and she just rolled her eyes.

_ “They’re trying to get your attention.”  _ She signed to him. 

Clint closed his eyes and groaned. He sensed the rest of the room grow quiet and hoped they were paying attention.

“Why don’t we all just get some rest?” He cracked an eye open. “We can deal with this bullshit tomorrow.”

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on twitter @AskAboutOcto where i'm most active, you can yell at me to write there
> 
> comments and kudos feed my family


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